Unbound Ragnhild Hemsing & Mathias Eick & Steinar Raknes & Terje Isungset

Unbound – The Soul’s Journey Across Boundaries

On April 17, 2026, the new album “Unbound” by the ensemble “Ragnhild Hemsing VETRA” will be released by the Berlin Classics label—digitally on all streaming platforms. This work is a wild yet contemplative journey through the Norwegian musical tradition. It is an auditory adventure, an invitation to let yourself be carried away into vast, Nordic soundscapes where jazz and Norwegian folk music converge.

Ragnhild Hemsing, who is equally at home on both the classical violin and the Hardanger fiddle, brings together in VETRA all her musical experiences, memories of her childhood in Valdres, Norway, and a longing for freedom and openness of expression. The name VETRA, derived from the Old Norse word for “winter,” reflects the close connection to nature and the cyclical passage of time that inspires her entire body of work.

Together with three of Norway’s most distinguished jazz musicians—Mathias Eick (trumpet), Steinar Raknes (double bass), and Terje Isungset (percussion, jaw harp)—they create music that grounds the listener while simultaneously carrying them away. Here, one can hear the power of the Norwegian mountains, the glow of bright winter nights, and the magic of Nordic melancholy. Each composition embodies the spirit of tradition and new beginnings, of security and the joy of discovery.

The seven tracks on “Unbound” are deeply personal and were all composed by Ragnhild Hemsing herself: The lullaby “Bånsull” was written by the bedsides of her two young daughters; with “EirilThea,” Ragnhild offers them a musical declaration of love full of warmth. “Luxelått” pulses to the rhythm of being on the move, inspired by moments on tour and new encounters. “Den lovlause låtten” celebrates nonconformity with playful energy and Nordic rhythms. In “Peer’s halling,” Hemsing’s homeland meets the world of literary characters—written for a “Peer Gynt” production in Oslo—a dance between tradition and the present. “Vinterstemning,” composed on the hottest day of the year, nonetheless captures the glittering stillness of winter, and “Vals” exudes a cheerful lightness reminiscent of a musical smile.

With “Unbound,” Ragnhild Hemsing not only celebrates the sounds of her heritage but also breaks new ground in how this music can sound today—honest, inspiring, authentic. Her playing on the violin and Hardanger fiddle blends down-to-earth authenticity with vision, ancient stories with the modern era. Thus, “Unbound” becomes a distinctive sonic portrait of an artist who has the courage to embrace boundlessness—and that is precisely what you feel in every note of this album.